{{warning|This page is yet to be reviewed for changes required by the migration to Git. Information and commands on this page may no longer be valid and should be used with care. Please see the [[Development/Git|KDE Git hub page]] for more details. }}

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{{Warning|These pages are currently being completely re-written to reflect the new KDE infrastructure and may not be in a consistent state. Information and commands on some page may no longer be valid and should be used with care.}}

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== Introduction ==

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== Introduction == <!--T:3-->

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There are several possible ways to build and install KDE software and the method you choose depends on what you want to do with the software once it is built.

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You may want to:

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* Develop a standalone application using the KDE Platform

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There are many different ways to become involved in the KDE Community, ranging all the way from a simply using our software through to being a core platform developer.

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* Develop one of the KDE Applications

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* Develop the KDE Workspace or the KDE Platform

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* Test the latest KDE Software or an earlier stable version

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In particular, for application development you may only need to build some parts of the KDE SC while relying on the KDE Platform stable packages from your distribution.

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You can find more general information on getting involved in KDE at the following links:

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* [http://kde.org/community/getinvolved/ Getting Involved in KDE]

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* [[Special:myLanguage/Contribute|Contribute to KDE]]

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The table below provides some guidance in making this decision, but before you start building please read the rest of the page for more detailed information on Getting Started.

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This section of KDE TechBase is designed to help get you started in participating in the technical side of the KDE community. It will explain to you how KDE Software is structured and built, and how you can participate by building KDE for yourself.

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<table border="1" width="100%" cellpadding="5">

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<tr>

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{{Note|'''Quickstart:''' If you are impatient to get started without understanding what you are doing then you can skip straight to using a [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Build#Scripted_Builds|Build Script]], but it is strongly recommended you read this documentation first.}}

<td>''For the casual user, or for application testers and developers who are working on applications outside of KDE SC''

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<td>''For application testers and developers who's applications require features from the unstable branch''

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<td>''For KDE SC and applications developers or testers that want to spend less time setting up a build system''

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<td>''For developers and testers working on core KDE SC functionality for the next release. Recommended for active developers.''

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<tr>

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<td>Use a [[/Distribution_Packages|Distribution with KDE]] to set up a fully functional KDE system in one step. Also install the "developer packages" if you want to compile KDE software

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<td>Download and setup KDE SC snapshots either on [[Getting_Started/Using Project Neon to contribute to KDE|Kubuntu]] or [[/Build/Distributions/openSUSE#Using_openSUSE_Unstable_Repositories|openSUSE]]

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<td>[[Getting_Started/Build/Stable|Build a Stable branch from source]]

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<td>[[Getting_Started/Build|Build KDE Software from Source]]

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<tr>

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</table>

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== Getting Help ==

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== Using KDE Software == <!--T:8-->

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If you are looking for help in using the KDE Workspace or KDE Applications then please visit the [http://userbase.kde.org/ KDE UserBase}.

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If you have any questions or problems with building or developing KDE Software please feel free to [[Development/Getting_Help|ask for help]]. However, be patient while waiting for a response, and try to work through the problem yourself, we aren't going to do it ''all'' for you. Working your way through and understanding why something doesn't work is a good way to learn how to do things the right way.

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<!--T:9-->

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If you just want to use stable KDE software for your everyday computing needs, then you do not need to build KDE Software for yourself. You should instead use the software installer provided by your Linux distribution to install KDE package.

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== Building and Running KDE Software From Source ==

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There are a series of steps you need to understand and follow to successfully build KDE Software from source. The following sections will take you through the process:

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The best place to learn how to do this is through your distributions normal support channels, although you may find some useful information on the following pages:

* Mac OS X does not currently have an installer available for KDE Software, but you can simplify building it by using [http://mac.kde.org/?id=build MacPorts or Fink]

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== Development Tools ==

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== Getting Help == <!--T:11-->

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There are a number of [[Development/Tools|Development Tools]] that are either required or helpful when building KDE Software. For these you will usually want to use the stable packages provided by your distribution.

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<!--T:12-->

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If you are looking for help in using the KDE Workspace or KDE Applications then please visit the [http://userbase.kde.org/ KDE UserBase].

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<!--T:13-->

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If you have any questions or problems with building or developing KDE Software please feel free to [[Special:myLanguage/Development/Getting_Help|ask for help]]. However, be patient while waiting for a response, and try to work through the problem yourself, we aren't going to do it ''all'' for you. Working your way through and understanding why something doesn't work is a good way to learn how to do things the right way.

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== Browsing the code == <!--T:28-->

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The KDE project is all free and open source. You can view its source code and make changes.

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http://projects.kde.org hosts the source for many KDE-related initiatives, including [https://projects.kde.org/projects/kde KDE itself]. Choose a piece of KDE such as KDE Libraries, then click Repository to browse its source. [[Getting_Started/Sources]] explains the organization of KDE source code.

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There are other utilities to browse the source code:

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* http://lxr.kde.org/search lets you search the code ''(may be out of date?)''

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* http://api.kde.org lets you browse API documentation generated from the code. You can search for class names, but not filenames.

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== Building and Running KDE Software From Source == <!--T:14-->

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<!--T:15-->

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There are several possible ways to build and install KDE software and the method you choose depends on what you want to do with the software. In particular if you are only wanting to build and develop a single application you may not need to build the entire KDE Development Platform to do so. You can read more about this on the [[Special:myLanguage/Getting_Started/Build/Methods|Build Methods page]].

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<!--T:33-->

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If you simply want to build one application, the simple tutorial [[Development/Tutorials/Building_An_Existing_Application|Building an Existing Application]] might be enough already.

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<!-- what about https://launchpad.net/project-neon that used to be linked here in 2010, does that still apply? - User:Skierpage -->

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The following sections explain the steps you need to understand and give the instructions you need to follow to successfully build KDE Software from source:

* [[Special:myLanguage/Policies|KDE Development Policies and Procedures to follow]]

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* [[Special:myLanguage/Policies/Application_Lifecycle|The development lifecycle for a new application]]

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== Development Tools == <!--T:21-->

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<!--T:22-->

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There are a number of [[Special:myLanguage/Development/Tools|Development Tools]] that are either required or helpful when building KDE Software. For these you will usually want to use the stable packages provided by your distribution.

Revision as of 17:12, 4 November 2012

These pages are currently being completely re-written to reflect the new KDE infrastructure and may not be in a consistent state. Information and commands on some page may no longer be valid and should be used with care.

This section of KDE TechBase is designed to help get you started in participating in the technical side of the KDE community. It will explain to you how KDE Software is structured and built, and how you can participate by building KDE for yourself.

Note

Quickstart: If you are impatient to get started without understanding what you are doing then you can skip straight to using a Build Script, but it is strongly recommended you read this documentation first.

Using KDE Software

If you just want to use stable KDE software for your everyday computing needs, then you do not need to build KDE Software for yourself. You should instead use the software installer provided by your Linux distribution to install KDE package.

The best place to learn how to do this is through your distributions normal support channels, although you may find some useful information on the following pages:

Mac OS X does not currently have an installer available for KDE Software, but you can simplify building it by using MacPorts or Fink

Getting Help

If you are looking for help in using the KDE Workspace or KDE Applications then please visit the KDE UserBase.

If you have any questions or problems with building or developing KDE Software please feel free to ask for help. However, be patient while waiting for a response, and try to work through the problem yourself, we aren't going to do it all for you. Working your way through and understanding why something doesn't work is a good way to learn how to do things the right way.

Browsing the code

The KDE project is all free and open source. You can view its source code and make changes.

http://api.kde.org lets you browse API documentation generated from the code. You can search for class names, but not filenames.

Building and Running KDE Software From Source

There are several possible ways to build and install KDE software and the method you choose depends on what you want to do with the software. In particular if you are only wanting to build and develop a single application you may not need to build the entire KDE Development Platform to do so. You can read more about this on the Build Methods page.